The Emmaus golf team finished off another successful East Penn Conference season last week with a 383-435 win over Parkland.

The Hornets went 14-1 in 2021 for second place in the EPC. They look to avenge that one loss in the postseason, which began this week.

The Hornets only loss this season came by three strokes against Liberty on Sept. 2 at Bethlehem Municipal. In that match the Hurricanes’ top player, Matthew Vital, shot 67 to help his team edge the Hornets 384-387.

“I think we’re really excited,” said Hornet senior Matt Zerfass of the chance to beat Liberty in the postseason. “I think we know that we can take them. We know we’re playing well. We’re all looking forward to seeing them in EPCs and districts and get revenge on them.”

The Hornets are led by three seniors who have been the team’s top three scorers in most matches this season.

Zerfass, a two-time state qualifier, four-year varsity player and the team’s No. 1 players this season, is averaging around 71 this season. Evelyn Wong, the 2020 girls District 11 Class 3A champ, has averaged around 74 this season. Aiden LeBlanc, a three-year varsity player who moved out of the East Penn School District for his junior year, is back with the team and averaged 72.8 through the team’s first 13 matches.

But the team’s success is not only attributed to the top three. Patrick Bova, another senior, has improved and been among the top three scorers in some matches this year, while Noah Schurman, Joe Skekel, Zach Yenawine and some other players have also contributed to the top five scores in matches this season.

“I feel like a lot of the guys we had coming up that are sophomores on the team started to get a little hotter as the season went on and played a better,” said Zerfass, who recently committed to St. Joe’s University. “We all started to click at the same time coming down the stretch here. We’ve had some good rounds. We lost that match against Liberty but it was only by three and we know we can make up those shots easily.”

Zerfass is one of a few Emmaus players who are looking to compete for individual league and district titles in the postseason. He was fourth in districts last year and was runner up as a sophomore.

This year he’s looking to earn a postseason title or two.

“Hopefully I can win all of them,” he said. “That’s my goal: finish well at EPCs, districts and hopefully make it to states. And just finish on a good note, play how I know I can play and kind of just do my thing, not worry about anyone else and just play the game I know I can play.”

Wong won last year’s girls district title in a playoff over former Hornet teammate Michelle Cox, who is now playing at Penn State. She admitted that she hasn’t been playing her best lately and will enter the postseason with a bit of nervous anticipation.

“It’s another opportunity to do well,” said the Hornet senior who recently committed to play at Lehigh University. “The last few matches have been a reminder of how much work I need to put in to do well for the postseason.”

Le Blanc also recently committed to Lehigh. He said the loss early in the season to Liberty stung, but he’s anxious for another crack at the Hurricanes and wouldn’t want to do it with any other team than this year’s Emmaus squad.

“I love everyone on this team, everyone on it,” he said. “We can mess around with each other and still go out and play serious golf. I think we have a state-winning team if we put it together.”

LeBanc said Bova’s improved play this season could be a big factor in the postseason team tournaments. During the regular season, a team’s top five individual scores from an eight-player line up count toward the team total. In the postseason only the top four count from a five-player team.

“I think that does tighten things up,” said Zerfass. “I think they have a really deep team. I think it’s going to make it a little bit closer.”

The Hornets opened the postseason Monday at the East Penn Conference Championships at Olde Homestead. See next week’s Press for more about that event.

A week after leagues LeBlanc, Bova and possibly some other Hornets will compete in the District 11 qualifying tournament at Olde Homestead. As returning state qualifiers, Wong and Zerfass are exempt into the district championship tournament, which will be held Oct. 13 at the Steel Club in Hellertown.

Emmaus has a senior-laden team that will see it’s top four players graduate in Bova, LaBlanc, Wong and Zerfass. Also playing their final year on this year’s team are Skekel, Quinn Scott and Andrew Taskalos.

Likely returning players for head coach Mo Bryan include juniors Anna Farnschlader and Avery Salley and sophomores Andrew Kleist, Schurman and Yenawine.